By Albert Futukpor
Tibung (N/R), July 31, GNA – Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, has inaugurated Rural Telephony Networks in three communities in the Kumbungu and Tolon Districts to ensure residents have access to high-speed voice and data services.
The three solar-powered masts, (one per community) whose network spread to a 20-kilometre radius would also benefit other the adjoining communities.
The beneficiary communities are Tibung in the Kumbungu District, and Nagbligu, and Jagriguyili in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.
The Minister further inaugurated a Community Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre at Tolon, to help impart digital skills to students and other residents as part of the country’s digital revolution.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, speaking at separate ceremonies to inaugurate the facilities in the beneficiary communities at the weekend, said it was to ensure that unserved and underserved communities were made part of the country’s digital revolution.
She said the government was working to ensure that every part of the country was connected to a telephone network since it was a tool to facilitate the development of the country.
She explained that “As part of government’s commitment to connecting the entire country, the government had the vision to ensure that all un-served and underserved communities are connected, and has taken a loan facility to put in, the infrastructure.”
The Minister said connecting the un-served and underserved communities would help children from those communities to put into practice their ICT skills, while other residents would use it to improve their business operations, as well as access other useful services.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, on the Community ICT Centre, said the Tolon Community ICT Centre was one of 30 others built over the last two years across the country, and stocked with 15 computers and trained managers to teach students and residents digital skills.
She urged a 10-member Sustainability Management Committee, constituted to oversee the operations of the Community ICT Centre at Tolon, to ensure proper care of the facility to continue to serve the people well.
Mr Habib Iddrisu, Member of Parliament for Tolon said the facility, coupled with a library that he had put up in the area, would be of immense benefit to students in the area.
Tolon-Naa (Major Retired) Abubakar Sulemana, expressed gratitude to the Ministry and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications for constructing the facility in the area, saying it would boost business activities in the area.
GNA